New Art Riot
Manic Street Preachers Lyrics


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Vintage aromas and vintage ideals,
Old men greying to a dying country's needs,
Waiting for a knighthood to while away the hours,
Listen and learn now it's time to kill your betters,

Museums are dead take a new art stance,
Paint mass suicide on the aspiration diktat,
Hospital closure kills more than car bombs ever will,
But it saves money because people are expendable,
You cold shoulder insurgents yet love arms dealers,
Everybody's taking drugs as it makes governing easier,

Museums are dead take a new art stance,
Paint mass suicide on the aspiration diktat,
Sell out the past and learn to obey,
You spit out and douse a molotov cocktail,

Revolution soon dies sold out for a pay rise,
China, Russia, England, all washed up in power abuse,
Terrorism is an excuse that the ruling class use,
Wipe out aristocracy now kill, kill, kill, kill, kill,

England makes judgements of old school propaganda,
The only threat to heads is silenced by dumb pleasure,




Museums are dead take a new art stance,
Paint mass suicide on the aspiration diktat,

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Manic Street Preachers' song "New Art Riot" serve as an indictment of the political, economic, and cultural landscape of the 1990s in the UK. The opening lines critique the old-fashioned ideals and leaders of the country, who are out of touch with the younger generation. The reference to waiting for a knighthood to while away the hours suggests a sense of selfishness and complacency among the older generation. The following lines highlight the sense of futility surrounding traditional institutions like museums, and encourage a new approach to art that reflects the desperation and disillusionment of the youth.


The song's middle section takes on the issues of hospital closures, drug use, and arms dealing. The lines "Hospital closure kills more than car bombs ever will, But it saves money because people are expendable" suggest a disturbing logic of cost-cutting that values profit over human life. The line "Everybody's taking drugs as it makes governing easier" adds to this sense of moral decay and corruption in society. The chorus returns again, urging artists to reject the old ways of the past and embrace a new art stance that reflects the anarchist impulses of the time.


The final section of the song is the most overtly political, calling for the end of aristocratic rule and advocating violent revolution. The lines "Revolution soon dies sold out for a pay rise" highlight the general sense of disillusionment and defeatism among the youth at the time, as well as the growing economic inequality in society. The reference to China, Russia, and England being "washed up in power abuse" suggests that the song is not just criticizing the UK, but the global political order in general. The final line of the song, "Museums are dead take a new art stance, Paint mass suicide on the aspiration diktat," serves as a call to action for artists and youths to reject the status quo and create a new world order.


Line by Line Meaning

Vintage aromas and vintage ideals
Traditional values and outdated ideas


Old men greying to a dying country's needs
Elderly leaders unable to address the needs of a declining nation


Waiting for a knighthood to while away the hours
Hoping for a high-ranking honor to pass the time


Listen and learn now it's time to kill your betters
Advocating for the oppressed to overthrow their superiors


Museums are dead take a new art stance
Rejecting traditional art forms in favor of new expression


Paint mass suicide on the aspiration diktat
Depicting a collective act of suicide in response to societal pressure


Hospital closure kills more than car bombs ever will
Critiquing the government's decision to close hospitals, resulting in more deaths than terrorist attacks


But it saves money because people are expendable
Justifying the hospital closures as a cost-saving measure, disregarding human life


You cold shoulder insurgents yet love arms dealers
Ignoring rebellions while supporting the arms industry for profit


Everybody's taking drugs as it makes governing easier
Allegedly, politicians and other leaders rely on drugs to make difficult decisions


Sell out the past and learn to obey
Encouraging society to forget its history and blindly follow authority


You spit out and douse a molotov cocktail
Rejecting violent forms of rebellion in favor of peaceful protest


Revolution soon dies sold out for a pay rise
Revolutions are often co-opted by those seeking personal gain


China, Russia, England, all washed up in power abuse
Condemning the abuse of power by various global powers


Terrorism is an excuse that the ruling class use
Arguing that governments use terrorism as an excuse to restrict civil liberties and justify war


Wipe out aristocracy now kill, kill, kill, kill, kill
Urging the elimination of the ruling class through violent means


England makes judgements of old school propaganda
Satirizing England's biased, outdated political propaganda


The only threat to heads is silenced by dumb pleasure
Claiming that those in power silence dissent by giving the masses trivial entertainment


Museums are dead take a new art stance
Reiterating the rejection of traditional art forms


Paint mass suicide on the aspiration diktat
Repeating the idea of depicting collective suicide in response to societal pressure




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRADFIELD, EDWARDS, JONES, MOORE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

AManicPreacher

This song has some of the most truth-filled lyrics the Manics have ever written. The fact that it's spelled out so plainly just makes it more in-your-face, which I appreciate.

UltraAnxiety

"Hospital closures kill more than car bombs ever will" To this day, it's my favourite line of theirs.

Laurence Taylor

"hate is art and we steal cars" wins it for me! Strip It Down.

pearlxescent

Same

Night Mike

This is an incredible post punk track from The Manics, it totally was a hell of a first single to introduce themselves, perhaps this was them arguably at their most fierce.

Chameleon102

He got a voice coach, he's mentioned somewhere in Everything (the book). His voice really has matured, but it's worth noting that at this time he considered himself a guitarist who had to sing as there was no-one else!

Emmit Vert

Woah, the lyrics of this song are an ideological bomb! So aggressive and ripe

PriestessOfAtlantis

Can't believe this was nearly 20 years ago, makes me feel old!

TheoStenner

can't help but love this goodness

manic4manics

No Surface All Feeling was actually written with Richey, and features his guitar... and this song kicks ass :P

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